Kerala Picnic Spot

Kerala has a total of 6 National Parks. The whole eastern part of Kerala is the Western Ghats and hence Kerala has a lot of protected areas. They are

Eravikulam National Park, Silent Valley National Park, Periyar National Park, Anamudi Shola National Park, Mathikettan Shola National Park and Pampadum Shola National Park. It also has a proposed National park namely Karimpuzha National Park.

Read about all the Protected Areas of Kerala here and all posts tagged National Parks here

Eravikulam National Park

Eravikulam National Park, the first of its kind in Kerala, where the endangered Nilgiri Thar is protected. Spread over 97 sq. km., this park holds the largest viable population of Thar, several other species of rare animals, birds and butterflies. Eravikulam National Park a UNESCO World Heritage Site is located along the Western Ghats in the Idukki District of Kerala in India.

The park offers a magnificent view of the tea plantations and also of the rolling hills caressed by blankets of mist. The park becomes a hot destination when the hill slopes get covered in a carpet of blue, resulting from the flowering of Neelakurinji, which blooms once in twelve years.

Silent Valley National Park

The Silent Valley National Park, one of Kerala’s best kept Secrets is a unique preserve of natural rain forests. Silent Valley is the rarest and precious protected area in the world. The journey to Silent Valley is a pilgrimage to nature. This park is one of the last undisturbed tracts of South Western Ghats mountain rain forests and tropical moist evergreen forest in India.

The lion-tailed macaque, one of the most endangered primates of India, is a huge draw at the park, where you can also see elephant, tiger, leopard, wild dogs, Flying Squirrel, Barking Deer, Sambhar deer, Gaur and Nilgiri Tahr etc.

Silent Valley National Park is a National Park with a core zone of 236.74 square kilometres (91 sq mi) (making it the largest national park in Kerala) is located in the Nilgiri Hills, within the Palakkad District of Kerala, South India.

Read Also: Hill Stations in Kerala

Periyar National Park

Periyar Tiger Reserve, Thekkady, is an example of nature’s bounty, with great scenic charm, rich bio diversity and providing veritable visitor satisfaction. Sprawled over an area of 925 Sq km., Periyar is one of the 27 tiger reserves in India. Zealously guarded and efficiently managed reserve is a repository of rare, endemic and endangered flora and fauna and forms the major watershed of two important rivers of Kerala, the Periyar and Pamba.

Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (PNP) is a protected area in the districts of Idukki, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta in Kerala, India. It is notable as an elephant reserve and a tiger reserve. The protected area covers an area of 925 km2 (357 sq mi). 305 km2 (118 sq mi) of the core zone was declared as the Periyar National Park in 1982. The park is often called the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary or Thekkady.

Anamudi Shola National Park

Anamudi Shola National Park is a protected area located along the Western Ghats in Idukki District, Kerala state, South India. It is composed of Mannavan shola, Idivara shola and Pullardi shola, covering a total area of around 7.5 km².

62 Species of trees, 174 species of herbs and shrubs, and 39 species of climbers are spotted from here. About 100 species of butterflies, about 232 species of moths, about 76 species of birds and Elephant, Tiger, Panther, Indian Bison, Nilgiri tahr, Gaur, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Giant Grizzled Squirrel, Hanuman Langur, Sloth Bear, Flying Squirrels, jungle cat, wild boar, Leopards, Wolves, Wild Dogs, Civet Cats.

Mathikettan Shola National Park

Mathikettan Shola National Park is a 12.82 km² national park in Poopara village of Udumbanchola taluk in Idukki district of Kerala state, South India. It notified area national park in November 2008.  It was declared a National Park on Nov 21, 2003 to protect its ecological, faunal, floral and geographical wealth and its environment. Mathikettan Shola Park is unique as an elephant corridor. Forest trekking is one of the most entertaining activities here where the tribal youths are trained as guides for the purpose.

Pampadum Shola National Park

Pampadum Shola National Park is the smallest national park in Kerala state, South India. The park is administered by the Kerala Department of Forests and Wildlife, Munnar Wildlife Division, together with the nearby Mathikettan Shola National Park, Eravikulam National Park, Anamudi Shola National Park, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and the Kurinjimala Sanctuary.

Around 22 species of trees, 74 species of herbs and shrubs and 16 species of climbers have been spotted here. There are various types of medicinal plants (herbs), of which studies have been conducted. The fauna includes several threatened, rare or endemic species and a variety of medicinal plants.

Karimpuzha National Park (Proposed)

Karimpuzha National Park is a 230 km² proposed National Park located in the Nilgiri Hills, Palakkad district and Nilgiris district, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, in South India. Along with Mukhurti National Park and Karimpuzha National Park, Silent Valley National Park forms the core of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. This park is explored in 1847 by Robert Wight, the park remains one of the last uninterrupted territories of south Western Ghats montane rainforests and tropical moist evergreen forests in the country.